Monsoon rains: Urgent steps must be taken to deal with flood threat, says CM

Shahbaz directs Cabinet Committee on Flood to hold daily meetings

LAHORE:

All necessary steps will be taken to deal with the threat of floods, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Monday.

He was addressing a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Flood through a video link from London.



“Administrative officials should continuously monitor the river situation after the rains. Necessary measures should be taken to cope with any emergency. No laxity will be tolerated in this regard,” he said.

He directed the committee to monitor the repair of important bunds and spurs. “The repairs should be completed on an emergency basis.

A report should be submitted after a third-party inspection of all important bunds and spurs,” the chief minister said.

He directed the cabinet committee to hold meetings on a daily basis. “There should be effective coordination between the provincial and federal departments. Information should be shared as soon as it becomes available,” he said.

Sharif directed the officials to acquire information from the Meteorological Department about the weather situation and then take appropriate steps. “Arrangements should be made for the timely evacuation of localities on the banks of rivers in view of possible flooding,” he said.

The chief minister directed the officials to take measures to deal with the possibility of flood torrents in Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur.

“The flow of water in torrents near Sialkot and Gujranwala should be monitored round the clock,” he said.

He ordered an inquiry into the losses caused due to erosion of protective bunds by River Sindh in Layyah.

He said that dewatering sets and other necessary machinery should be in operational condition in all districts.

“The cabinet committee should ensure the implementation of the decisions taken in view of possible flood. Delays will not be tolerated,” he said.

He said that district authorities should remove encroachments on river banks and around flood drains with help from police.

Ministers Col(r) Shuja Khanzada, Yawar Zaman, Dr Farrukh Javed, Adviser to CM on Health Khawaja Salman Rafiq, MPA Zaeem Hussain Qadri, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority director general, the Rescue-1122 director general and the Meteorological Department director general attended the meeting.

He directed the officials make the protective arrangements effective and comprehensive.

The chief minister said that all the departments concerned and institutions should remain alert with regard to weather condition and flow of water in rivers. There should be complete preparation to meet any emergent situation, he said. Officials briefed the meeting in detail about the weather situation and the flow of water in all rivers.

The meeting reviewed the measures taken for coping with recent rains and possible flood situation.

Multan

The chief minister addressed Dera Ghazi Khan district officials through video link on Monday. He directed them to inspect flood dykes and repair weaker ones.

The officials briefed the chief minister about the flood situation. Dera Ghazi Khan commissioner Muhammad Saqib Aziz and Irrigation Secretary Saif Anjum told the CM that there had been no breaches in the flood dykes of any river in Dera Ghazi Khan.

Saqib said that members of Rescue 1122, Health Department and Irrigation Department had been on alert to monitor the flood situation in Rodkohi area.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2015.